Aviana - 'VOID' - Album Review

Lighthouse Music
2 days ago
3 min read

BACKGROUND. When it comes to Swedish heavy music, we usually talk with justified exaggeration about the glorious past, rich tradition and overwhelming legacy, and rarely about modern, genre-bledning, visionary acts that push the local scene into the future. And yet, when a contemporary band wraps that solid metal foundation and innate Scandinavian approach, with the latest industry trends and current production excellence, the results are often disarmingly good. However, in recent years there has been a change in the guard, and the name Joel Holmqvist has stood proudly at the forefront as the driving force between the brilliant Aviana returning once again with their explosive new album VOID.

BAND. For the sake of the album review, we will skip the band's early days and two initial releases, and focus on their current chapter. A turbolent yet fruitful period, it saw Holmqvist remain the only member, recruit the mysterious trio of Death, Fear and Dark as full-time members, gather a killer collection of immortal metalcore bangers in Corporation (2022), and now deliver the second installment with VOID. For five years, Aviana have been finding their true sound and finally appear to have settled masterfuly into their unique niche, an industrialised, nu-metal-infused, deathcore-leaning, metalcore for the next generation of Swedish flagbearers.

ALBUM. Whereas Corporation was intended as a compilation of standalone singles to introduce the new cycle, VOID is noticeably more coherent and deliberate as an album. It is Aviana at their best current form, focused, direct and punching. The LP feels less like Holmqvist's personal imaginerium and more like a collective effort, simultaneously digging deep into pure melodeath roots and past deathcore influences, but also embracing present metalcore trends, electrifying production and subtly integrated futuristic framework, for an outstanding piece of modern djenty goodness.

SONGS. A concise, dystopian, post-apocalytpic tale from start to finish, VOID opens with the beautiful instrumental 'ITER INCIPERE' that leads right into the pulsating introduction 'INTO THE VOID'. From there, it is an unstoppable whirlwind of conflicting emotions and moods, on one side devastating ragers like 'FATHER', 'STORM ABLAZE' and 'DELIRIUM', on the other soaring anthems like 'HEAVENLY SPARKS', 'EVERMORE' and 'REDROOM', and somewhere inbetween 'IN CONTINUA ITER' mixing both worlds in a flurry of industrial tropes and cybernetic aesthetic. Right at the end, a brilliant contemporary Swedish team-up with Imminence's very own Eddie Berg on 'WORLD PULSE' to close it off with a gentle yet crushing blow.

FUTURE. At the moment, for Aviana it is as bright as it gets, reaping the benefits of all that hard work, dedication and vision. VOID is not only a huge win for the band and a well-earned achievement for Arising Empire, but mostly a crucial statement for the contemporary Swedish metal scene and its future direction. New trendsetters come and go, and while certain traditional genres will always have their northern leaders, Aviana remain amongst the most active guarantors that the modern substyles are also in safe hands and ready to explode at any given moment. Give VOID a play and follow Aviana, they can only go higher from here.